Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Emerges As Main Suspect In Baba Siddique Shooting | Key Updates

Baba Siddique, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and former Maharashtra minister, was ambushed by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai, just outside his son's office, around 9:30pm on Saturday, and shot at.

He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Photo Credit: https://x.com/BabaSiddique

Baba Siddique's son, Zeeshan Siddique, is the Congress MLA representing Bandra (East), while Baba Siddique himself had served three terms as the MLA for the Bandra (West) seat in the Maharashtra assembly. A well-known Muslim leader from Mumbai, he had strong connections with several Bollywood celebrities, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Sanjay Dutt.

Baba Siddique, who had been a three-time MLA from Bandra West, joined Ajit Pawar's NCP in February this year after resigning from Congress.

Here's what we know about Baba Siddique's murder so far in 10 points:

1. The Mumbai Police recovered six empty bullet casings from the scene where Baba Siddique, 66, was shot. However, it remains unclear how many bullets were fired and how many struck the victim.

2. Two suspects from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have been apprehended, while the third remains at large, according to the police.

3. Baba Siddique had received a death threat 15 days prior to the attack, prompting authorities to upgrade his security to Y-category.

4. The police recovered the weapon used in the crime. "A 9.9mm pistol was used in the shooting," an official told the news agency ANI.

5. Authorities are also investigating a possible connection to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which has previously issued threats against Salman Khan.

6. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited Lilavati Hospital late on Saturday night to meet Baba Siddique's family.

7. Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Ministers, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, along with senior police officers, Union Minister and RPI(A) Chief Ramdas Athawale, and Parth Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar, also visited the hospital.

8. Eknath Shinde vowed that those responsible for taking the law into their own hands would face strict consequences. Describing the incident as "extremely unfortunate," Shinde told the press that two suspects had been arrested while one remained at large.

9. Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty, visited Lilavati Hospital to offer their condolences to Baba Siddique's family. Actor Zaheer Iqbal also visited, and Riteish Deshmukh expressed his sorrow, stating, "The perpetrators of this horrific crime must be brought to justice."

10. Opposition leaders in Maharashtra expressed outrage over the murder of the former minister. NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar voiced concern about the declining law and order situation, criticising the government's handling of the case and targeting Home Minister Fadnavis. Balasaheb Thorat, leader of the Congress legislature party, remarked that the killing of a ruling party leader with Y-category security raises serious concerns about public safety. Aaditya Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) called the murder "shocking."